Maggie B B

In July 1918, Hamburg Place’s John E. Madden disclosed his intention to retire as a public breeder and subsequently maintain only a small industry presence. Below is an advertisement posted in the Louisville Courier-Journal for a bloodstock dispersal sale to be held at at the farm on January 22, 1920.

Ultimately postponed from January 22 to February 3 due to a “sleet storm,” the sale is a great opportunity for historical window shopping for enthusiasts of the mares Maggie B.B. and Mannie Gray, as it seems as if almost every other broodmare in the sale traced back to one or the other.

During the course of the sale, 111 horses (76 broodmares, 35 yearlings) went through the ring, ultimately bringing a total of $124,874.

The sale topper was the 9-year-old Odgen (GB) mare Tea Enough (in foal to Star Shoot (GB)). A half-sister to outstanding racers Dick Welles, Ort Wells and producers Toggery (2nd dam of champion Jamestown) and Tea Biscuit (dam of sire Hard Tack), among others, Tea Enough went for $7,000 to Carr & Platt, who were bidding on behalf of oilman Edward F. Simms. While Tea Enough would not go on to produce any foals of note post-sale, her then 2-year-old daughter Daylight Saving (Star Shoot (GB)) would go on to produce Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Gusto (American Flag) in 1929, as well as handicapper Clock Tower (Snob (GB)) in 1928, himself the sire of champion Dawn Play.

The second highest price of the sale was the 7-year-old Sain (GB) mare Scenery (in foal to Ogden (GB)). Out of a half-sister to the below mentioned Orange and Blue, Scenery went for $5,000 to Carr & Platt, who were again bidding on behalf of Edward Simms.

“MIAMI, FLA., Jan. 18. – John D. Hertz, Chicago financier and sportsman, who is spending the winter months at his home in Miami Beach, has the unique distinction of having in his racing establishment, now in training at Hialeah race track, in the care of “Bobby” Gallor, twin thoroughbreds, which have recently entered their 2-year-old stage, and are being prepared for their racing debuts.

The youngsters will be given their first taste of racing about February 1, and in the event that they are pitted against each other in the same race, which is probable, another interesting chapter would be added to American turf history.

Instances of mares dropping twin foals are not altogether rare in the American thoroughbred breeding industry, but it is indeed a rare occurrence to find twins that have survived the yearling stage. Usually one or both foals are puny and, even if they live long enough to become 2-year-olds, are seldom any use for racing.

Veteran horseman at Hialeah can not recall a similar instance as that of the Hertz twins, and they are all evincing interest in the youngsters, and curious to see them together in a race.

The Hertz twins were bred at their owner’s Leona Farms, near Cary, Ill., and are by Chatterton, from Delft, a mare that has been at the Hertz farm for several seasons. The mare, however, was taken to Kentucky to be bred to Chatterton.

Horsemen who have inspected the twins at their stable in Hialeah pronounce them perfect thoroughbred specimens and, unlike the average twins, they are well developed. One is a colt and one a filly, and the brother and sister are both bay in color and bear a striking resemblance to each other.” (The Washington Post, 01/19/1930)

Note: Despite the above article listing the twins as bays, they were registered as chestnuts.

The twins, later named Mr. Twin and Mrs. Twin, would make a bit of history when they would compete against each other in the first race at Wheeling, WV on April 23, 1930. They would fail to make a splash, as both horses were pulled up shortly after the start of the race.

Daily Racing Form, 04/24/1930

Mr. Twin was ultimately gelded, and would make fourteen unplaced starts across a four year career (1930-1933). Mrs. Twin would make five unplaced starts in two years of racing (1930-1931). She had no reported foals.

Despite their poor on track performances, Mr. Twin and Mrs. Twin were of high-blood, descending tail-female from the influential Magnolia / Madeline / Maggie B B line (Family 4-m), which has produced noted horses such as Canter, Crusader, French Park, Iroquois, Sallie McClelland, Uncle, and Whisk Broom II, among many others.

Out of the stakes winning Burgomaster mare Delft, the twins were half-siblings to the Peep o’ Day mare Florence Webber, who would foal the ill-fated Scapa Flow (by Man o’ War) in 1924. Winner of the Futurity S., Scapa Flow was later named the retrospective Champion 2-Year-Old of 1926.

Delft was out of the Sir Dixon mare Blue Girl, herself named the retrospective Co-Champion 2-Year-Old Filly of 1901 and Champion 3-Year-Old Filly of 1902. Blue Girl, out of the Hindoo mare Bonnie Blue, was a full sister to the highly successful colt Blues. The two siblings were the product of a Formula One inbreeding pattern, with the 3rd dams of their sire Sir Dixon and dam Bonnie Blue both being the aforementioned Maggie B B.